Change of Events
by CodeNameZimbabwe
Summary: Just before her reunion with Ash and Brock, an unexpected event turns Misty's world upsidedown.....POKESHIPPING.....oneshot


**Change of Events**

I couldn't believe it. It was my last night at home in the Cerulean Gym, and I, Misty Waterflower was the undefeated Gym leader! I just had my two-hundredth win since coming back to the gym, but I was sooo eager to see my oldest and best friends again. I hadn't seen Brock or Ash in over two years since we separated. I was going to go to Pallet Town for two weeks, and I couldn't wait to see them again---especially Ash. Ash and I have known each other since the beginning of our Pokémon journeys, and we've been best friends since before I can remember. But I wish we could be more than that….okay I'm just gonna come right out and say it----I am completely in love with my best friend, Ash Ketchum. But sadly, I know he doesn't feel the same way about me. He's told me about all his crushes and girl issues, and trust me, he just wants to stay friends. 

But, sorry, enough about that. I had to finish packing so I could catch my flight to Pallet Town tomorrow, finally see my friends, and possibly brag about my undefeated status to them a tad hehe… When, suddenly my cell phone rang. The caller ID said it was May calling so I quickly picked up.

"Hey, May, what's going on?"

It sounded like static on the other line.

"May? Hello, are you there?'

I was about to hang up when she replied,

"Misty, oh God…." And trailed off.

What I had mistaken for static was really May's sobbing.

"May, oh my God, what's wrong?" I asked, deeply concerned. May was not the type to cry unless something really bad happened.

"Misty, it's—it's Ash." More sobbing… "He's—he's…." May let out a strangled cry before uttering the worst words I could ever hear. "He's dead, Misty! Ash is dead!" She then lost it completely, sobbing uncontrollably into the phone.

"No…." I whispered quietly before dropping the phone right onto the floor. Tears filled my eyes as I heard May calling my name from the phone. I picked up the phone again, and May proceeded to tell me with much difficulty of how the ferry Ash was traveling on had sank, and there were no survivors. I had been completely silent, unable to comprehend what my friend was telling me, when suddenly I said,

"Well, wait a minute! Ash, Brock, and I survived the sinking of the St. Anne when everyone thought we were dead! How do you know he's not alive on one of the islands like last time?" Any glimmer of hope I had left was quickly crushed when May replied,

"I know, they thought of that! So the search teams checked all the surrounding islands, but there was no sign of him!" May must have heard me choke up on the other line because she said, "I know, I know! I can't believe he didn't make it out of this one either, but he's gone, he's just gone…." She started crying into the phone again.

I was still speechless a minute later so I told her I'd be in Pallet Town as soon as possible and hung up. That's when the news finally hit me, and I lost it too. I practically fell to the floor sobbing and clutching the phone to my chest. I couldn't believe it! I was so close to seeing him again, and right before I did, he was taken from me forever. By this time, I was in total meltdown, screaming Ash's name and crying for everything we had and what could have been.

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The memorial service and the days leading up to it were all a complete blur to me. I did know something for sure though. If I had barely held on for two years without seeing Ash, then there was no possible way I could ever hope to survive for the rest of my life without him. Now, I'm not saying I was considering suicide or anything. I just figured I was going to waste away, pining for my lost love. I knew I was worrying everybody around me, my family and friends. I had barely spoken a word to anyone since I'd arrived. All I did was eat, drink, and cry myself to sleep for a week after Ash's funeral.

One night, I was having an especially hard time getting to sleep. I kept tossing and turning, trying to remember Ash's voice. We had both been so busy with our training lately; I hadn't spoken to him for several months. Our last conversation must have been around New Year's, and it was June now. And it hadn't even been a meaningful talk, just a quick, awkward call to wish each other good luck in the New Year. Argh, thinking about this was making me feel worse and worse, and tears were just starting to form in my eyes when, suddenly, I heard my door open, and someone stepped into the room. Probably Brock checking in on me again. I really didn't feel like talking so I rolled over and pretended to be asleep.

"Misty? Are you awake?" the person whispered as they quietly shut the door and turned on the light. _Geez, Brock! Turn off the light! _I thought to myself, but I still stayed "asleep". I heard him walk over to my bed. Oh my gosh, couldn't he tell I was trying to sleep?! _Alright fine, I'll just see what he wants and get this over----._

"Mist. It's me, Ash."

What!! My eyes shot open.

_Okay, don't worry; it's just your imagination running away with you. It's only Brock sitting there; you just thought he said Ash. 'Cause there's no possible way that Ash Ketchum could be sitting there next to you!_ Slowly I turned around, and oh my God, Ash Ketchum was sitting there next to me!!

My jaw dropped to the floor. Now this just wasn't fair! I was definitely seeing things, but this vision seemed so real. I could almost reach out and----. _Oh, shut up, Misty. You know he's not really there._ So I shut my eyes to make him go away, but when I opened them again, Ash was still right in front of me. My jaw dropped to the floor again as I whispered, "No……..way….." Ash gave me a nervous smile and replied, "Hey, yeah it's me." And it definitely was. He had the same spiky black hair, same signature hat, and the same beautiful brown eyes that I could get lost in forever.

"But--but you're….how is this possible?...Ash, you're…." I stammered, unable to state what should have been true.

"I know, I know," Ash sighed. "Everyone thought we were dead. I thought we were gonna die too, but Pikachu and I managed to swim out of the ship in time. We held on to a piece of the wreckage for probably hours until we reached this island, and we were stranded for a couple days, until a passing ship saw us and got us."

Ash paused and looked to me for some reaction, but when he got none, he sighed and continued,

"I am so sorry I had everyone so worried, but it's not like I could have made it here any sooner. None of my Pokémon could help me, so we had no choice but to wait for help! Aw, come on! Please say something, Misty!"

But I was speechless. I was still so shocked that the whole time I had been so miserable knowing I'd never see Ash again, he had been alive. _Oh God, no don't cry. He's alive, see you should be happy! Come on, don't-----too late. _I don't know why, I just couldn't hold in all those tears. I blushed wildly as Ash wrapped his arms around me, but I continued to sob into his shoulder.

"Shh, no it's okay. God, I really am sorry about this, but I'm fine now, see? Everything's gonna be okay, just please don't cry." Ash comforted me and continued to hold me close until I was finally able to pull myself together.

"Sorry for all this," I said, half-smiling as I wiped away my tears. "But, geez, you really scared me! Don't you even think about dying again, Ash Ketchum!" I scolded as I pulled out my mallet and whacked him on the head. A big sweatdrop formed on the side of his face.

"Ow! Heh, you haven't changed a bit, Mist!" he chuckled as he took off his hat and rubbed his head.

We talked for what seemed like hours about what we'd been up to over the last couple years. Ash, of course, had done well in all the League Tournaments he participated in, and I told him about my two hundred wins at the Gym. I told him about how Gary Oak, surprisingly, had been really sweet and taken me out to dinner to celebrate. Big mistake….

"Gary Oak!! Are you serious??" Ash exclaimed.

"Well, yeah. It's weird, he's actually really nice when he's not bragging or trying to get you mad."

"Oh yeah right! I don't trust him; he's a selfish jerk who doesn't care about anyone's feelings!" Ash was getting really mad now.

"If he didn't care about anyone's feelings, why would he take me out to dinner? Are you saying you'd rather me sit at home all alone instead of going out and celebrating?!"

"Well, if it meant avoiding Gary, then yeah!"

"Argh, Ash, I don't see what the big deal is! We're just friends! He's changed! I mean, he was being _so _nice that when he asked if he could travel with us to the Master League in a few weeks, I told him I'd think about it!" As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I instantly regretted it.

"YOU WHAT?? Misty, you invited him to come with us?! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!! It was supposed to be just you, me, and Brock! Just like old times and, and….!" Ash was trembling with anger as he quickly got up and went to the door. _What is the deal? Why is he freaking out so much?_

"Ash, wait! Can't we talk about this?" I called as I ran after him. Ash turned around to face me.

"You….just….UGH!" he stammered in frustration, then he turned and ran down the stairs.

"Ash!" I continued to follow him as he stormed out the front door. It was pouring rain, and Ash was standing on the front porch, contemplating whether he should go out into the wet night. However, as soon as he heard me behind him, he marched right out into the downpour. I ran after him, grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around to face me.

"Ash, look, if you really can't stand Gary that much, I'll tell him not to come with us! I just thought, 'cause he was being so nice….." I trailed off.

"Look, I don't care about Gary, okay? It's just that if you wanted to tell me that you and Gary were together, you could have done it in a less obnoxious, hurtful way!"

"Oh my God, for the last time, Gary and I are not going out! We're just friends, seriously!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Ash said as he started to walk further into the darkness. I rolled my eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" The reaction that followed was not what I expected.

"Anywhere but here, okay? I can't stand to be around you right now, Misty. Ever since I met you, I…..I thought we were……and now….just forget it…..I'll go to the League alone….." Ash's eyes were full of hurt and confusion. He quickly pulled his hat down to hide his face, but I could tell he was crying. At this point, I was just as upset as he was. I just couldn't understand why he hated me so much all of a sudden.

"Ash, stop! Please don't go!" Tears filled my eyes as the rain continued to fall. Ash stopped and half turned his head towards me. Good, he was listening.

"Ash, ever since we separated, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. I missed you so much, and just when I'm about to see you again, I get word that you're dead! Ash, you don't even know what that did to me. It completely killed me inside! I felt like a part of me had died with you. But now, you're back! Ash, life doesn't have that many second chances, so just please…..please don't go….I….I…" I started sobbing uncontrollably, unable to think of how else I could change his mind.

"Wow, I didn't know you cared that much." In my hysteria, I didn't even notice that Ash had turned around and walked back over to me.

"Of course I do. Don't you get it?" I smiled as Ash reached up and stroked my cheek.

"You know, Misty, since the first time I saw you, I've wanted to tell you something."

The next thing I knew, Ash was kissing me. Softly at first, then harder and more passionately. I threw my arms around him, kissing him back as he pulled me closer to him.

Finally, we broke apart, both gazing into each others' eyes, our foreheads touching.

"I love you, Misty." Ash whispered to me.

"I love you too, Ash." A smile lit up his face before our lips crashed together in a deep kiss that we had both been longing for for so long.

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**Epilogue:**_The next day…._

"Hello?"

"Hey, Gary, it's Misty."

"Oh, hey Mist, what's up?"

I glanced over at Ash, who gave me a thumbs-up, followed by a slightly evil grin. Stifling a laugh, I replied,

"Listen, Gary, I'm really sorry, but I don't think you can travel with us to the Master League. You see, there's been a slight change of events….."


End file.
